The idea of using more than 100 boats, side by side, to create a pontoon bridge actually had a certain inspiration.

When Ocassi learned of this plan, he once asked the Emperor His Majesty.

"陛xià! How did you get such a genius idea? Did God touch your forehead? ”

So, how did Li Mengyang answer?

"This, it really has little to do with God, but it may have something to do with it, because it could be him, let me know a person, that Vanderbilt."

Ay? Why did Li Mengyang mention that Vanderbilt?

It's because of the story of the current richest man in the United States, this Vanderbilt borrowed $100 from his family when he was young, and then went to buy a boat!

Ships have always been very expensive, because the technology of shipbuilding is not something that a cat or a dog can do, only a highly civilized society in history, their shipbuilding technology will be excellent, especially in this year, after reaching the sea navigation, so that the shipbuilding technology has a qualitative leap, or only the shipbuilding technology has been greatly improved, and then there is a great voyage.

So, how did Vanderbilt get the boat for $100 back then?

This involves the details of a fortune story, that is, what kind of boat did Vanderbilt's $100 buy?

Barge!

Yes, barges are also called boats, but they are not powered by themselves, they are just for loading, and then something else. Maybe there's a rudder. Because even if it's pulled by another ship. Then you have to control the direction a little bit.

And the barge is a kind of boat, in order to be able to load more cargo, so this kind of boat looks like a board is put on the water, hey, yes, that's the feeling!

See, the board, that is to say, it was decided from the shape to use this kind of boat to build a pontoon. That's the best thing to do, but there's another problem, which is, when Vanderbilt bought the ship, it seemed to be 1820, right?

That's right, it's already 1868, so after all this time, hasn't there been much increase in prices?

Inflation is such a thing. Naturally, it is inevitable, but it is not. This inflation really hasn't changed much!

Why?

The reason is actually very simple, although the US economy is developing, but the purchasing power of the dollar itself has been very strong, or in other words, looking at the world, in this year, all countries are not too similar.

Because in this era, everyone's currency is still gold and silver!

Yes, the price of gold and silver does not fluctuate much, and if you want to say that silver may have fallen a lot because of the emergence of places like Mexico, but now the United States, including Europe, is a 'double standard', that is, silver is not good, let's look at gold.

Therefore, it is true that you can't buy a barge for $100 now, but there is no particularly big change, a ship is now within $300, depending on the size, this is still because the United States is now fighting a civil war, and inflation is a little high.

This is an important condition for Li Mengyang to be such a tyrant!

In total, the construction of the pontoon bridge only cost tens of thousands of dollars, and Li Mengyang prepared 300 million gold francs for this war, and the money for the pontoon bridge this time is simply a small CASE!

In fact, along the way, when the Imperial army reached Louisiana, there were more rivers, most of them tributaries of the Mississippi River, in fact, many previous crossings were carried by barges, but not as much as this time.

Li Mengyang is really, not only a local tyrant, but also quite economical...... Even if it's someone else's money, we can't squander it too much, can we?

But however, this pontoon bridge was dispersed after sending the vanguard of the empire, because the people had been transported, then there were only materials left, you know, the vanguard troops were only 5,000 people, they were all combatants, they were going to seize Vicksburg, to the fastest speed, then some follow-up materials, which naturally could not be transported.

There is a shortage of manpower, so it is better to use barges to transport back and forth on the river, if it is still in the state of a pontoon bridge, then this efficiency will be reduced.

Loading and unloading at the same time requires much less manpower than transporting it all the way.

Because of this, when Sherman's fleet came to Vicksburg, he saw a lot of merchant ships, which were actually barges towed by tugboats!

And what Sherman couldn't imagine even more was that on one of those barges, the emperor of the New Tang Empire of the United States, Li Mengyang, was on it!

Yes? Li Mengyang is also here?

Li Mengyang, of course he came!

Vicksburg Interior......

"Comrades! Our team is a glorious team! You are lightning! You are thunder! You are the sword of the Empire! Any enemy in front of you will be defeated by you! Any reactionary who tries in vain to stop us will be exterminated by us! Comrades! ”

Li Mengyang, who was dressed in a green military uniform and also wore a steel helmet, was giving a speech to the vanguard of the Eastern Route Army of the Empire, that is to say, he was in Vickersburg at this time, and he was at the forefront of the battlefield!

“ALL-HAIL-LEE！”

“ALL-HAIL-LEE！”

His Majesty the Emperor was also with him, no matter who had a different taste in his heart, the sergeants in the vanguard were really very moved when they shouted slogans, and even those sergeants burst into tears.

However, Li Mengyang, the emperor, did not finish speaking.

"Comrades! This is Vicksburg, this is the front line of my empire, no imperial soldier is higher than you, and I, the emperor of the empire, naturally have to be with the front soldiers! Now in front of us is the army of Shermans, they are one step behind us, that's all! But they besieged us, no way, they were numerous, but, comrades! I'll be with you! That's right, I'm not leaving! I'm defending Vicksburg with you! ”

Together? Stubborn? Emperor Majesty?!

“ALL-HAIL-LEE！”

“ALL-HAIL-LEE！”

“ALL-HAIL-LEE！”

No one thought that Li Mengyang, the emperor, would stay on such a front line and in such a dangerous place, which is simply too bold, but it is also too morale-boosting, and the slogans of the imperial sergeants are shocking!

"陛xià! Isn't that too dangerous? ”

Okasi as commander of the Eastern Route Army...... Well, in fact, the real commander is Li Mengyang, he is the emperor, but in terms of personnel appointment, then your emperor has to take charge of the overall situation, you have to grasp the general, and now the empire is not divided into the Eastern Route Army and the Northern Route Army, then your emperor cannot be the commander of a single route army, you are just acting with the Eastern Route Army now...... As the commander of the Eastern Route Army, Okasi naturally cares very much about the safety of His Majesty the Emperor.

"Hey! What's this!? Li Mengyang had an expression of complete indifference.

"陛xià! Your actions are very touched! God can testify! But it's too dangerous! If we hadn't resisted the American attack......" Ocassi said, he had never done that before, because it was somewhat unconfident.

"Ha......" Li Mengyang smiled and said, "Do you think you will lose?" ”

"Of course not!" The emperor's words made Okasi's face flushed, and he even forgot to shout, so he quickly made up, "Your Majesty!" The minister and His Majesty live and die together! ”

This is a good expression, but however, Li Mengyang patted Okashi on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry! I can't die! You can't lose either! ”

“ALL-HAIL-LEE！” Ocassi: A salute!

Why did Li Mengyang take such a risk? Why would he do that?

In fact, the most important point is that Li Mengyang has enough confidence in his troops, and the rest.

Just look at the terrain of Vickersburg, in fact, this place is really good, very safe.

How so?

Vicksburg is on the east bank of the Mississippi River, and on this bank, there is a hill-like plateau, which can be said to be like a cliff facing the river, but this place is a lush hill.

In other words, there is a lot of soil on this mountain, so if there is soil, you can naturally dig trenches, and Li Mengyang directly came up with a 'new idea' this time.

"Let's dig a hole!" That's a new idea, but this hole.

Cat ear piercing!

Before, the soldiers came to use some of the existing things, such as the remnants of the wall, and the other was the defensive offensive left by the Southern Army before...... It turned out to be a fence, and when he saw these things, Li Mengyang felt a little like returning to the farmhouse.

It's really a fence, that is, before the trenches were applied to the American Civil War, both sides were actually relying on fences for defensive offensives......

These fences can only confuse the opponent, and the real effect has to be the trenches, that is to say, some have been done under the hill, and then it can be developed, and with the cat's ear holes, Li Mengyang's safety is actually not worried.

This is already the category of tunnel warfare, Li Mengyang naturally has absolute confidence, there was nothing the US army in Shangganling could do back then, let alone the current gang of guys!

However, doesn't Li Mengyang need to command other troops?

Now everyone on the imperial side knows that the Eastern Route Army is the main force, with 80,000 people, but the current Vicksburg is only more than 5,000, so what about other troops?

This matter, hehehe, Li Mengyang has already arranged it before...... (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you very much for your support! Black car bye-bye!